31 May 2010

I normally have a lie-in on a Saturday morning. It is a highlight in my week, with no work or church to force me to get up early. This weekend, I awoke at 09:30 (early!), and lay in bed listening to Radio 4. What a slacker I am.

As I lay there, I heard one of the most moving and inspiring stories that I have ever came across. It was the story of Helen Bamber, a psychotherapist who worked with survivors in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. She was later involved at the start of Amnesty International, becoming chairwoman of the first UK group. She later set up the charity Medical Foundation for Care of Victims of Torture in 1985 to provide long-term care to those who have suffered torture. She has since setup the Helen Bamber Foundation to offer support to people who had suffered human rights violations.

This is a woman who in her 80s who is still determined to make a difference, who continues to fight injustice and human rights abuse. I think she is an incredibly inspiring figure. She may not be a household name – but she should be.

To listen to the segment in the Saturday Live show on Helen Bamber, it starts at 08:05, and ends at 15:18 minutes.